Borderlands 2- An Unforgiving Past and a Cloudy future
by PlatinumShark
Summary: Many think of Axton the Commando as a cheerfull fellow, an indivisual who's problems don't bother him. But beneath that fake cocky smile he wears lies the truth, the black hole of darkness his past has provided. Join him as he fights to keep his head above his bloodstained past, but as the horrid memories start to dawn on him, where will he turn to next? (MayaxAxton) Please Review
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1) Unforgiving Dreams and Consequences **

A Threshers' cry, a burning house, a faded pink revolver, a women crying alone in the rain. They are gone because of you Axton, because you were not strong enough to protect them. You were a coward, you hear me Axton?... Axton... Axton.

"Axton!" The young commando's head shot up from the table as he was awakened from his slumber. Axton regains consciousness, examining the women who woke him.

"Oh, so-sorry Moxxi." He manages to spit out still buzzed from the dream he just had.

"Oh its ok sugar" Replies the sexy bartender in a cheerful tone. "You're the last one here, even your friend Mordecai got his drunk ass up a couple hours ago." She stretches her arms and let off a yawn. "Sorry I had to wake you, but a gal like me has to sleep some time, you know?"

"Uh.. ya..." Mumbled Axton not sure how to respond to that "Hey what time is it anyway?" He eagerly asks.

"Erm, about 5:30 AM" Moxxi replies peering at the wall clock. "You know, you look quite down honey, there's an empty room out back, perhaps I can cheer you up a bit." She suggests raising her eyebrow seductively.

Axton hesitates at first but finally mumbles, "Um... No thanks, I really need to head back to HQ." While rubbing the back of his neck and thinking of all the possible things he could possibly catch from Moxxi.

...

The soldier leaves the bar noticing that it was still dark outside. He passes Earl's black market and continues to the Crimson Raider Command Center, where he finds a lone Crimson Raider standing guard outside.

"Jessup? Why the hell are you still standing there?" He calls to the Private.

This made Private Jessup jump a bit, but he got a grip and answers, "Oh evening sir, I was just ensuring the safety of our general."

Axton cracks a smile, "Jessup, cut the bullshit, you just want to kiss up to Roland for a promotion huh?"

"No, I just um... Yeah.." Mumbles Private Jessup in confession.

This caused Axton to chuckle a bit, "Dude, you don't have to suck Roland's dick for that promotion. Tell ya what, you're a good soldier, I'll talk to him for ya." Axton assures the private while walking over and patting his shoulder, "Now go home you son of a bitch" he adds with a smile.

...

Axton opens the door of the command center and gazes inside. It was dark, but he noticed that Tannis was the only one downstairs, sleeping soundly on her desk. Axton studies the darkness. Then he maneuvers his way upstairs and walks past the vault room, (Which contained a very drunk marksman snoring rather loudly on the couch.) and continues though the command center. He stops at the balcony and peers downward. He notices that Jessup took his advice and went home. Smiling, he jumps to the rooftop to his right where he climbs until he was fairly high off the ground and could see the dark sky clearly.

Axton sits down and pulls out the dog tags he wore around his neck. Bad memories of his past flow through his mind like a swarm of bees while he blankly stares at the two pieces of aluminum attached to the wedding ring that once belonged to his wife.

"Sarah... I'm sorry." He solemnly murmurs to himself, grasping the dog tags in his hand while looking up to see a beautiful sunrise over the horizon. "That motherfucker will pay for this, I promise." He adds in a harsh, unforgiving tone.

"For a shit hole of a planet, Pandora does have a magnificent sunrise." Says a soothing voice behind him.

Axton turns around, he lays his eyes upon his fellow siren vault hunter, who grins at him with her hands on her hips. "Mornin' Maya." He answers coolly "You're up early." He adds casually leaning back.

"Yeah, well I thought I'd wake up early to get some fresh air before today's mission, figured you be lying around here on the rooftops like a loner." She says with a chuckle while taking a seat next to Axton. Her attention drifted toward the chain in his hand. "Hey, what's that?" She eagerly asks, pointing at Sarah's dog tags.

"Oh this? It's nothing, just some old dog tags from when I was serving in Dahl." Axton lies while quickly tucking the tags back into his shirt. "I was going to go take a walk around Sanctuary, care to come?" He offers in a flirtatious tone.

"Sure, why not?" She answers, holding up her hand.

Axton pulls Maya to her feet, and the two vault hunters navigate their way down the rooftops of the floating city.

...

As they were walking towards Scooter's garage, Maya notices the empty, solemn expression in Axton's face. Almost as if he was crying, but a man like him would never show tears. "Hey, you alright Axton?" Maya asks, giving off a worried look at the Commando.

Almost as if her words conducted a bolt of electricity, Axton snaps out of his trance almost immediately.

"What?! Oh, no I… I'm fine. Just spacing out is all." He reassures, forcing a grin at his Siren teammate. "Anyway, do you know what todays mission is going to be?" Axton quickly asks wishing to change the topic.

"Not sure exactly." Answers Maya "Roland said something about helping Tina out at Tundra Express." she continues while rolling her eyes. Maya didn't really enjoy helping Tina because she was always stuck with having a tea party or doing some other girly shit with her while the guys were off killing things.

Axton grins, unlike Maya, he really didn't mind Tina. The girl had demolition skills that could put Mr. Torgue out of business and Axton respected that.

"HEY SLAB!" cries a deep voice behind them.

Maya and Axton turn around to see a muscular monstrosity of a man towering above them. "Hey Brick!" Axton greeted back while flashing his unique grin to the bandit king.

"Hey, I didn't know you two were together!" Brick exclaims in a deep tone while giving off a crooked smile.

The vault hunters fell silent for a second.

"I um, we're not..." Maya stuttered

Axton chuckles while looking over at his flustered and now very red friend. "We're not dating Brick, just taking a walk that's all." He replies in a relaxed tone.

"Oh I see... My bad." Brick says, letting out a hearty laugh. "Well, whenever you guys are done, Roland has a mission for you back at HQ."

"Yeah we know, thanks." Chimes Maya

"Later Slabs!" Brick yells before finally leaving the two at peace.

"Asshole" Growls Maya angrily, causing Axton to chuckle a bit.

...

By the time the two finished their walk, everyone at HQ was up and about. Roland briefs the group on the mission of the day which had to do something with an invitation for a tea party at Tina's. Maya groans after hearing this but Roland reminded her that they did still owe Tina for helping highjack that Hyperion train.

After the meeting everyone except Lilith and Maya left the room to get ready.

Maya leans back against the wall with an unamused look on her face. "Man this job still blows, knowing my luck I'll be the one babysitting and drinking expired tea while the others are out lighting up bandits." She complains.

"Yeah, but at least you had a pleasant morning" Laughs Lilith raising her eyebrows.

"What?! How the hell did you..?" Maya stutters

"Brick told me"

"Goddammit Lil it's not like that.. I just.. He looked so sad this morning so I wanted to cheer him up." Maya says now slightly embarrassed.

"Hehe whatever you say Maya" Lilith chuckles "All I'm saying is that you guys would look cute together."

Before Maya could retort, Axton echoes her from outside. "Hey Princess! Zero, Sal, and I are already geared up outside, ya comin or what?"

Maya echoes back. "Goddamit Axton, never to call me Princess." she growls through the echo recorder.

Lilith giggles girlishly. "Look at him, already coming up with cutesy nicknames for ya."

"Ah shut up Lil." Maya shoots back punching her playfully in the arm.

However as she was packing her gear, she thinks to herself. "Well he is kinda cute..."

**_Author's Notes_**

**And thats the first chapter guys! I promise it will get more violent later, this is just setting the stage a bit. This is my first go at a Fanfiction so if you find any problems be sure to point them out. Reviews are free, so make sure to do so if you enjoyed the story! Chapter 2 will be up whenever I decide to stop being lazy :). **

**-PlatinumShark**


	2. Chapter 2

**C****hapter 2) The Lone Revolver **

**Recalibrating location **_**Sanctuary**_**. Stand by for immediate transport. **Chimes the Fast Travel station's automated voice as Axton the Commando punches in the coordinates. The group had just finished their tedious task in the Tundra Express, which involved a unlucky gunzerker luring the "guest of honor", a psycho named Fleshstick, to his torturous death. Axton was exhausted, but eventually settled on grabbing a drink at Moxxi's with the others to celebrate the successful mission. Both Zero and Maya left early, so he walks towards the bar alongside his trigger-happy friend Salvador, who predictably was griping about how awful his job of luring Fleshstick was.

"IT FELT LIKE IT TOOK AGES!" The short man exclaims. "The little pinchazo would occasionally slice me in the ass while I was running and to make matters worse, the dude wouldn't shut his loud ass up!" He growls angrily with his deep southwestern accent. "If only I could shoot him over and over again, then I would feel like a king." He maliciously adds while forming a smirk.

Axton simply chuckles at his complaints. After all, he wasn't going to Moxxi's to listen to Salvador whine. The young commando opened the door to the bar and strolled in. The cacophony of the music and chatter rushes through his mind as he peers around. He finaly spots his friends sitting in a booth on the far side of the bar, but noticed the blue haired siren is not among them.

Lilith greets him in a cheerful tone of voice as he approached. "Hey Killer! You're late! Hey um, Maya was looking for you earlier."

"Oh was she now? What did she want?" Axton asks curiously.

Lilith exchanged glances with Roland, then turns her focus back to Axton. "I dunno, she just came in here to ask where you were." She replies, eyeing the suspicion in the commando's expression.

Axton's interest for drinking quickly disappears as his curiosity took over. He leaves the bar and walks towards the HQ, where he figured he would find the blue haired siren. However to his dismay, as he enters the command center he notices that Maya's bedroom door was closed.

"_She must be sleeping_" he thinks to himself. Disappointed, the soldier takes a glance at his watch. "_Only 6:30? That's early, even for Maya_" However he brushes the thought off and crosses the hall to his quarters.

Axton closes the door behind him and collapsed on his bed. He looks up at the ceiling and develops a sour frown on his face. _"One step closer Jack, then you'd be sorry for what you did to me." _His attention shifts to his cabinet. Curious, he rolled off his bed and opened the drawer. He feel around for a second and discovers mysterious small metal box. _"Huh, this looks ancient. I never remembered packing this."_ He ponders to himself as he simply breaks off a rusted lock retraining the box and removes its contents. A thousand daggers pierces his battered heart as he solemnly recognizes the only object in the box... A faded pink revolver.

...

Axton studied the weapon. A fine, sleek black barrel with a pink body, topped off with a polished Vladof pistol grip. He examines it closer, noticing a bit of dried blood staining the barrel. "_Fuck you Jack, you'll pay with every ounce of your miserable blood_." He growls under his breath maliciously, while gritting his teeth and placing his face into his hands.

His head jolts up as he hears a distinctive knock on his door. "Axton? It's me Maya, may I come in?" A soft voice calls from the other side.

"Oh shit." He quietly swears to himself as he quickly stuffs the box and revolver under his bed.

Maya slowly walks in and stares at the commando, who is now casually sitting back on his bed with his hands over his head.

"Hey darling, did ya need something?" Axton asks in his usual flirtatious tone. His voice is still hoarse from cursing Jack, earning a suspicious look on Maya's face.

Maya answers by staring at him for a few seconds, but then she takes out Sarah's dog tags from her pocket. "You dropped these over at the Tundra Express."

Axton feels around his chest. Those were definitely his. He take the tags from Maya's outstretched hand, noticing that the chain was broken. "Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without these." He gratefully says with a smile.

Maya flashes a smile back and walks toward the door. However she stops halfway and turns back to the commando. "Hey wait, I thought you said those were you're dog tags?"

Axton freezes up. "_Shit, she must have read the engravings._" He thinks to himself. "No, my exwife gave me those after she kicked me out of the house. Must have just slipped my mind." He replies shrugging.

Somewhat satisfied, Maya gives up on the question, says goodnight to Axton, and walks out of his room. "_He would never lie to me, right?" _She figures, trying to mentally console herself. She however peers into his room through the keyhole only to find Axton staring sadly at a strange revolver. _"What is he not telling me?"_

_..._

"_They are gone because of you Axton." _Echos the same female voice he heard the first night. Axton felt as if he were falling, falling into the unknown as the same anonymous voice continued to mock him. _"They all are dead because of your selfishness Axton, because you were not there to save them from the pain and hardships you as an individual, caused them. You have nowhere left to go, and for that you have all but yourself to blame." _The voice stops for a moment and Axton looks up to see a women lying on a sidewalk. Rain falls and impairs his vision but Axton could recognize the woman anywhere. It is none other than Sarah, bleeding from a sniper wound in the chest. "NOOOO!" Axton runs over and attempts to stop the bleeding, but it is far too late. "Sarah, I'm sorry." He cries, holding his dying wife in his arms. The woman raised her head and whispers into his ear. _"Screw you Axton… How could you do this to me… this is all your fault you fucking prick..."_

The memory disappears and Axton's vision goes black once more. "_The night Sarah died, you wish it never happened, so you choose to not remember it. But it never dawned on you that her death was your fault was it? The woman that loved you more than anything, gone because you couldn't do the same for her." _The voice lets out a chuckle. **"SHUT UP! SHE NEVER SAID THAT! GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!"** Axton exclaims clutching his face in envy. However the voice shows no mercy and continues. "_I'm sure you know very well what happened Axton… Axton… Axton…_

"AXTON!" A stern voice awakes him from his mental torture. The grizzled commando turned and fixated his eyes across the room to his roommate's bed. "Oh, so-sorry Roland." He spat out, still trying to realize if he was really awake or not.

"It's no problem, are you good? I mean you were flipping out for a good 10 minutes." Replied Roland with a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Axton reassures his friend, who now satisfied, turns off the lamp illuminating the dark room. Axton stares blankly at the ceiling. "_Perhaps it's better if I don't sleep for the rest of the night." _

**Author's Notes**

**Annnnnd Bam! That's the chapter guys! Did anyone get the FleshStick reference? Huh? Anyone? Probably not… I realize my storyline might sound like LT's at the moment, but I assure you, I plan to make it very different. His story is what inspired me to write fanfiction in the first place, so for those of you that enjoyed this, you'd probably enjoy his stories too! Username: LurkingT**

**Attention Readers, Earlier I said chapter 3 would be released ahead of schedule. However due to time constraints and the fact that I scraped the original chapter, it will be delayed for another day or two. Sorry for the inconveniece guys :(. Stay beautiful ma readers!**

**-PlatinumShark**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, Hey, Hey Guys! Sorry I had to pospone this chapter. Due to time constraints and due to the fact that I scraped the original, this was the earliest I could put it out. But, I'm fairly happy about this chapter so Yay... and stuff... and stuff...**

**Chapter 3) Fadir? Thirteen**

**The** next morning was a lot better. Although he was still exhausted, Axton's mindset was clear and functional. He made a cup of coffee and sat on the couch next to Maya, who (as usual) had her nose in a book.

"Good god, what happened to you?" She questions as she looks up at the fatigued commando, noticing his bloodshot eyes and muffled appearance.

Axton hesitated for a moment. He places his turret pods on the table and leans back. "Ugh, nothing special just a bad night; Roland tends to snore really loud." He lies, earning himself a suspicious look from Maya.

Before he can further explain, the siren reaches over and places her hand on Axton's shoulder, immediately noticing how tense and contracted the muscles were. However, before Axton could tease her with a flirtatious remark, a very energetic Gunzerker comes busting though the door.

"HEY! AXTON! MAYA! PACK YO SHIT, WE'RE GOING TO THE HIGHLANDS"

"Wha-why?" Maya chokes out, confused by Salvador's abrupt excitement.

"That one British petrimete is paying us big money to go kill some thresher named Old Slappy or sumthin." Replies the gunzerker with a hint of agitation in his voice, he clearly didn't get to shoot anything all day. He then picks up his bandit MG from the table and vacates the HQ, leaving the two vault hunters in silence.

Maya immediately withdrawals her hand. "Welp, we should get going before he shoots both of us." She utters hastily while setting her book aside to go fetch her gear.

"Yea right behind ya darling." Axton chimes back, scooping up his backpack and holstering his Dahl sidearm. "_Threshers, why the hell did it have to be threshers..." _He ponders to himself while following the siren out of the door.

…

The rancid aroma of burning tires and pollution fills the warm, summer air as the bandit technical comes to a screeching halt. The group has finally arrived at a lone Hyperion Extraction Plant in the Highlands. One by one the vault hunters vacate the vehicle, huddling together by a patch of soil to go over Zero's plan of attack. The assassin swiftly grabs a stick and starts drawing out a diagram on the earth.

"Ok then, I will go to the left side over here and disable the Hyperion communications while you three kill Old Slappy, who should be lurking somewhere in that artificial lake. Got it?" He questions, looking up to see that they were missing a gunzerker. "Hey?! Where the hell is…"

"AKIMBO!" Yells a voice far ahead of them.

Maya rolls her eyes and runs after their trigger-happy maniac. Zero also stands up to leave but Axton stops him.

"Shouldn't I maybe accompany you, just in case you need backup?" Axton suggests with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"No I'm fine by myself. Besides, we're getting paid to kill a thresher, not a bunch of flimsy robots."

Axton gives the idea up. "_It's only one thresher, how bad can it be." _He mentaly consoles himself while looking back at the Assassin who flashed **:)** emoticon before departing. "_Cheeky bastard…"_

…

Axton catches up to others and takes a knee on the low overhang shadowing the artificial pool. He grabs for his Vladof Renegade and re-chambers it. "Come on out and play ya son of a bitch." He mutters quietly to himself, gritting his teeth in anticipation.

Almost as if it heard the commando's challenge, the ground begins to shake violently, and within seconds a remarkably colossal thresher submerges from the pool.

"WOAH! BADASS IMCOMING!" Chimes Salvador while he swiftly unloads a massive barrage of lead upon the creature.

Axton stands in awe for a second, there was something strangely familiar about the creature. He shakes the thought off and unloads a full magazine into the thresher; the fire rounds scorch its flesh and makes it let off a horrifying bellow. The soldier jams another magazine in and slides back the bolt, but as he raises the sights to his eye, he notices an X shaped scar under the threshers chin. His rifle drops to the ground, and his mind goes blank…

…

**17 years ago… On the planet of Hieronymus… -**

A young Axton plays in the creek nearby his parent's farmhouse. His merriment comes to a halt as the ground seems to shake underneath him. However the mysterious quake doesn't scare him, and the curious young boy ventures out to the center of the creek, where the vibrations seemed the strongest.

"**Mmmraaerak!" **A thresher cries out its spine tingling screech as it surfaces from the small pool. Its long, wormlike body shimmers in the daylight as it lurches towards the now frightened 9 year old boy, tentacles at the ready.

Axton turns to flee, but the thresher is too fast for him. With one quick motion, the creature's tentacle latches on the boy's ankle, pulling him further into the creek. Axton shouts and struggles to get free, but the creature's iron grip restrains him from doing so. The tentacle constricts tighter, causing Axton to wince in pain as crimson begins to trickle down his leg.

**BANG!**

A loud, crackling noise tingles Axton's eardrums as the pressure on his leg dissipates. He opens his eyes to witness clumps of splintered flesh scattered around the creek, while the bright crimson dyes the murky water. A hand helps him up to his feet. He looks up to see none other than his own father, Clinton Woods; a grizzled, burly man with his prized Jakobs double barrel suspended over his shoulders.

"You alright lad?" Questions Axton's father, staring down at his son's bloody shin.

"Yea, I'm fine. Thanks dad." Mumbles Axton in relief. If his dad didn't show up, he would have been ripped to shreds.

"Okay, well I don't want you playing 'round here anymore. Those threshers' quite feisty little ones." Axton's father lectures in a stern voice.

"Ok Dad…" Complies Axton as his attention shifts to the dead corpse. "Hey, how did you kill it so fast?" He questions his father thoughtfully.

Clinton answers his question with a long hardy laugh. "I suppose you are getting to that age now are ya?" He ruffles his son's hair and points at the dead thresher. "See my shot placement? It's focused on the side of the threshers face, near his eyes. Pop enough of those and the thing will be dead in seconds."

"**Mmmraaaerrak!" **Clinton turns around to observe a significantly larger thresher emerge from the ground. He draws his machete from his waist and with two rapid motions, he gashes the creature leaving a X shaped laceration underneath the head. The thresher drops to the ground dead, its blood further contributing to the already discolored water.

Clinton turns back to his son and reloads his shotgun. Axton watches in awe as the deadly, nickel plated double barrel gleams in the sunlight. His father noticed his excitement and smiles warmly.

"Axton, one day this work of art will be yours. I promise." He says humbly while patting his son on his back. "Now let's go ho-"

Something wraps around his waist. He looks down in horror to find that the thresher he presumably just killed was only wounded, blood still dripping from its chin.

"Let go of me you son of a bitch!" Axton's father yells as he unloads a shot into the creature's torso. The buckshot pellets pierce the flesh and cause the thresher to screech, but the tentacle around his waist tightens and his right arm is restrained by a second feeler.

"Dad?!" Axton screams in terror as his father is lifted out of the air.

The ground begins to quake again, several more threshers pop out of their holes to join the feast. One lunges at Axton, but the nimble boy evades it. The swarm of wormlike creatures shift their attention to the future commando.

"Run Axton! Run and don't look back lad!" Clinton yells, cringing at the excruciating pain of being constricted.

"Bu-But Dad?" Axton whimpers helplessly.

"No buts! Just run before they get you too!" His father exclaims, now losing the ability to breathe.

Springing to his feet, Axton turns around and bolts in one direction. As his footsteps squish in the damp terrain when it begins to storm, he slips and lands face first in a muddy puddle.

The screams of his father can no longer be heard, the only sound that exists now is the grief stuck, fatherless child sobbing in the rain.

…

"_You may as well blame yourself for your father's death Axton." _The wicked voice begins to mock him as the commando's vision goes dark. _"You cowered in fear and ran helplessly as your own father was murdered by threshers. You call yourself a hero? Everyone that once loved you is dead now. Your father, Sarah, it's only a matter of time before you kill someone else!" _The voice bellows angrily.

"NO! SHUT THE FUCK UP! IT'S NOT LIKE TH-"

"_Not like what Axton? Not your fault?" _The voice cuts him off, letting out a devious chuckle._ "If it's not your fault then why aren't they here? Think about that for a bit, I'll be waiting here for you Axton. Axton…Axton…_

"AXTON! HELP US!" A familiar, panic-struck voice snaps the weary commando out of his trance.

"AMIGO! SNAP THE FUCK OUT OF IT AND BACK US UP!" Another voice shouts in distress.

Axton looks down in horror. Maya is restrained by one of the tentacles, fighting to get free of its iron grip. He reaches for his turret pod but discovers it isn't attached to his belt. "_Idiot! You left it on the table!" _He curses himself. Enraged with his own stupidity, he jumps down near Salvador and opens fire on two of the tentacles causing each of them to catch fire and split with a nauseating sizzle. Meanwhile, the Hispanic Gunzerker is struggling to fight back the large thresher with his last remaining weapon, a small Vladof TMP. He, however is effortlessly knocked to the side by one of Old Slappy's tentacles.

"Let go of me you bastard!" Maya growls as Old Slappy begins to lift her in the air. Frantically she attempts to phaselock it, but the thresher is well anchored to the ground and refuses to comply. The tentacles squeeze tighter, causing her to whimper in pain.

"No! Maya!" Axton yells furiously at the sight of the siren being constricted. Adrenaline rushes through his body as he angrily sprints towards the Old Slappy, who greets him with a barrage of tentacles. With pin point accuracy, Axton the Commando swiftly takes each of them out by aiming at the joints that connects it to the torso. His rifle's Maliwan compositor radiates brightly with a light crimson glow as he unloads the rest of his magazine into the side of the thresher's face, taking out many of the creature's multiple eyes. Old Slappy bellows in pain as it lifts his head up. Seeing the opportunity to deliver the final blow, the enraged commando unpins a sticky MIRV grenade from his belt, and lobs it at the wounded thresher. The metal exterior of the grenade chemically bonds with the creature's flesh and within seconds, expels its deadly shrapnel and child grenades across Old Slappy's torso. The creature drops dead with a loud thud, causing its tentacle to drop the siren to the ground.

"Maya!" Axton shouts as he sprints over to his teammate's body. Anxiously, he brushes her hair back and checks her pulse. "_Still beating, she's just unconscious from the lack of oxygen." _He lets off a sigh of relief and scoops her off the ground, nesting her in his arms. Salvador comes running over, looking back a few times at the bloody mess Axton has created.

"Holy shit Amigo! That was awe- OH SHIT MAYA!" Salvador yells, noticing the crumpled siren in Axton's arms.

"It's okay Sav, she's just unconscious." Axton consoles his friend. "We should get her to Zed though, could you go get Zero?" He continues, motioning towards the Hyperion Plant.

Salvador runs off and Axton carries Maya up the hill to the road. He delicately sets her down against the railing and stares down at Old Slappy's corpse. "I need to make sure." He harshly mumbles to himself, taking out three more MIRV grenades. He chucks each of them at the dead thresher and shields his eyes as a colossal explosion engulfs the body. Something flies and lands at his feet. Satisfied, Axton crouches down in front of Maya and wipes a bit of blood off of her beautiful face.

"Maya, I'm so sorry." He mumbles solemnly. He gets up and inspects the object at his feet. _"A rusty shotgun?"_ He thinks to himself. However, as he examines the weapon closer he freezes and becomes paralyzed in shock. "Dad's shotgun…."

…

A few minutes later, Zero and Salvador return with a fresh bandit technical. Axton lifts Maya into the bed of the vehicle noticing how light she was, and the group speeds towards the nearby fast travel station in Overlook. The commando lays Maya across his lap, resting her delicate head on his left arm while cradling her legs with his right. About halfway through the trip, the siren stirs and opens her gorgeous blue eyes. She opens her mouth to speak, but is too exhausted to. However, she notices how warm and secure she feels in Axton's grasp. The commando greets her with a warm smile, and Maya drifts back to sleep, realizing she's safe in his hands.

…

The vault hunters arrive back at Sanctuary in record time, and Axton carefully carries Maya to Dr. Zeds. Zed is a close friend to the commando, so he tends to Maya with great care and precaution_ (Unlike most of the patients he receives) _and reports back to Axton that she only suffers a few broken ribs. He gives the relieved commando a cartridge of painkillers and informs him that she will be unconscious for a few hours before sending him on his way.

…

"Jessup! Could you give me a hand with the door?" Axton projects at the guard. Jessup quickly complies and opens the door for him. Axton grins as he walks by the soldier, noticing his fresh new corporal insignia on his uniform.

Axton walks down the hall still holding Maya in his arms. He stops at his quarters and kicks open the door to find Roland and Lilith making out on the sofa. The two immediately stop to look up at the confused soldier.

"Dude! Knock first!" Exclaims Roland with a panic-struck tone.

Axton lets out a laugh at his flustered friend. "Sorry man, Maya's unconscious and this room is closer." He explains, laying the siren delicately in his bed and pulling the sheets over her weary body.

"My god, what happened?" Questions Lilith worryingly about her siren sister.

"A thresher constricted her, she'll be fine." Axton replies, carefully brushing Maya's delicate hair out of her face.

Lilith grins, and whispers something into Roland's ear. The two get up and head towards the door, Roland gives Axton quick pat on the shoulder on his way out.

Axton sits down on the couch and monitors Maya, waiting for her to move or stir a bit. About an hour goes by, and he grows weary. He walks over to his bag and takes out his ECHO device. However, as he sat back down he noticed Maya's beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. She stirs lets off a feminine yawn.

"This isn't my bed." She utters wearingly, studying the bed with her arms.

"Yea, it's mine. My room was closer." Axton replies, grinning at the siren.

"Oh, Okay." She answers quietly. Maya gets up and walks towards Axton, who is shocked by her instant recovery. She stops at his feet and wraps her arms around him affectionately. "Thank you for… You know, saving my life." She pulls back and grimaces in pain.

Axton pulls out the painkillers from his bag. "You have two broken ribs darlin', the doc gave me these. You sure you're okay?"

"Yea, don't worry, I'm a siren." She assures Axton while taking the pills from his hand. "See ya later Ax." She adds cheerfully before walking out the door.

"_Ax… Well she's never called me that before." _Axton thinks to himself.

…

Axton sits up from his bed. The sweet aroma of Maya's perfume still lingers on his bed as he reaches for his echo devise. He turns it on and reads a message from Salvador.

"Good job today at killing that thresher Amigo! Everyone's gathering at Moxxi's for a drink, come on by."

"_Huh, well I could use a bit of alcohol right about now." _He thinks to himself as he exits his room. He walks down the stairs but stops halfway. "_I wonder if Maya wants to come."_ The soldier walks back up and makes his way down the hall to Maya's room, where he shockingly found his teammate up and lively.

"Oh hey Axton, what's up?" She cheerfully greets the commando upon his entry.

"Hey darlin', wanna go join the others at Moxxi's?" Offers Axton in his typical flirty tone.

"Oh um, I don't really drink. I usually just stay back here whenever they go." She answers uncomfortably

"What?! You never drank before? C'mon I conquered my fear today, you can as well." Axton grins holding out his hand.

"Ugh! It's not that I'm afraid it's just that…." Maya begins to retort "Fine… Well I guess if it's with you." She gives in, grasping the cheerful soldier's warm hand.

…

The bar was lively as Maya and Axton stepped in. The cacophony the piano and chatter rushed through Maya's mind as the two made their way to their friends.

"Whoa, Maya you came too?" Roland pipes out, somewhat surprised to see her here.

"First time for everything." She shoots back with a smile.

Axton orders a couple of beers and hands one to Maya. She sits down and takes a small sip. It was rather bitter, but she kinda liked it. Felt like old friends seeing one another after years of being apart. She downs the rest and smirked with pride at Axton.

"There ya go Maya! Told ya you could do it." Axton smiles patting her on the back. Moxxi smiles from across the room and brings them a pair of shot glasses.

"Here you go sugar, on the house." She said with a smile, winking at Axton. He slides one over to Maya.

"What the hell is this?" She asks eagerly pointing at the small glass.

"It's called a shot. They have quite a kick to them, you sure ya wanna try?" He answers raising his glass

"Hell ya I do!" She answers with excitement, clapping Axton's glass and gulping it down.

Her mind goes blank, her vision becomes blurry and words turn into slur. "Axton?"

"Yea Maya?"

"You're really pretty Axton."

Axton can't help but crack up, Maya is drunk off her ass.

Why are you laughing Axton? I don't see any jokes around here." Maya spits out, stumbling around the bar.

Axton grabs hold of Maya's shoulders to prevent her from falling. "Ok Maya, let's get ya home." He says with a chuckle.

"Hey Axton. Do you think Zero has a face?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't he?" Axton was having too much fun with his drunk friend.

"Well he always wears the mask and… ZERO! DO YOU HAVE A FACE?" She projects across the room

"Um… ya…" The confused assassin mutters.

"He's lying, he's just jealous cause he doe-" Maya passes out on the floor, midway through her sentence.

"Oh dear" Murmurs Axton as he picks her up and cradles her in her arms again.

"That's two times today soldier. Three and I'll have you court martialed for being such a lucky bastard." Laughs Roland, playfully punching Axton on the arm.

"Ah shuddap man, I'll see you guys later." Utters the commando with a grin on his face.

…

Axton carries his princess back to HQ in his arms. He approaches Jessup who is still standing outside the command center.

"Oh my, again sir? It's only been like a few hours." Chuckles the corporal as he opens the door.

Axton the Commando carefully lays Maya the Siren in her bed. He pulls the covers over her and runs his fingers through her beautiful hair. He vacates the room only to be approached by Lilith in the hallway who didn't say anything, but instead smirked and raised her eyebrow.

The soldier enters his quarters and lies on his bed. His attention shifted towards his father's shotgun, now cleaned and placed against the wall. "_How the hell did that survive?"_ He didn't even want to know right now. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the silence and isolation of his room.

**BOOM HEADSHOT! Well thats the chapter guys, I really worked hard on this one so sorry if I was a bit behind schedule.** **Make sure to leave a review if ya enjoyed the chapter. Always remember that the best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time and ill see you guys next chapter!**

**-PlatinumShark**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey guys! Man it's been like foreva since I last posted… Sorry about that but um I've been going through a lot of personal problems and I wasn't in a mood to write, b**__**ut hey I was like F*ck it cause I really appreciated your guys support on my recent chapter. Yeah so thanks for that guys, I did take your suggestions into consideration so thanks yas very much and without further ado… Chapter four :D**_

**Chapter 4) Frostbitten Assassin **

**M**aya the Siren softly stirs in her bed as Pandora's morning sun radiates brightly over the floating city of Sanctuary. She opens her beautiful baby-blue eyes and cringes as a rush of pain pulses through her body.

"Take it easy kiddo, you have a couple of shattered ribs." A soft feminine voice calls to her.

Maya peers up to see her siren sister and roommate Lilith, who towers over her with her hands on her hips and a warm smile on her face. Maya smiles lightly back, but then a violent pulse vibrates through her head.

"Shit. My head…" She groans as she places her palm on her throbbing forehead.

Her reaction causes Lilith to chuckle lightly. "Heh, well that's what alcohol will do to ya sis. I gotta say, you did pretty good for your first time."

"Damn… How the hell does Mordecai get away with drinking that much?" Maya questions, sitting up on her bed while grasping her injured side.

"It's because he has a lot more tolerance kiddo, dude only gets intoxicated when his body is like 90% alcohol." Replies Lilith rolling her eyes a bit. She immediately notices Maya cringe and offers her the painkillers Axton had brought her earlier.

"Thanks sis." Maya gratefully mumbles as she gets up from her bed to take the cartilage of pills from Lilith's hand. "Man Lil, I don't remember anything from last night. How the hell did I get back?" The blue haired sirens asks while tilting her head back to swallow a pill.

Lilith lets off a soft giggle. "He carried you back of course"

"Oh…" Maya's face turns red with embarrassment. "Well I better go thank him then."

Maya gives Lilith an affectionate pat on the back before walking slowly to the door.

"Woah there killer, don't you wanna rest first?" Argues Lilith, astonished by her almost instant recovery.

"Nah I'll be okay, you know how fast we heal." Maya reasons, winking at her roommate. She then proceeds downstairs where hopefully she would find her friends.

...

Unfortunately to her dismay, Maya's fellow vault hunters had already left the HQ. Disappointed that Axton and them had already left, she decides to take her usual stroll around Sanctuary. The Siren washes her delicate face and carefully applies her make up before walking out the door.

"HEY MAYA! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" A man projects from across the street as the young siren walks out.

Maya knew that deep, Hispanic accent anywhere. It was Salvador, leaning against the outside barrier of Pierce Station; accompanied with Zero, who was ordering something with the Quick Change machine.

"Sal! Zero!" She greets back, walking her way over to them with a distinct grin on her face.

Zero looks up from the machine and examines the siren, noticing her perfect posture and composure.

"Your body, healed completely in such a short period of time… How is this possible?" Zero questions, remembering how crumpled her form was yesterday.

"Siren, remember? I heal both your asses all the time" Maya giggles lightly, noticing Zero's polished Jakobs Sniper rifle as well as Salvador's small arsenal; indicating that they must be going somewhere important.

"Oh ya, apologies my flower, but my lack of a face is starting to affect my vision." Mocks the assassin, projecting a :) Icon and causing Salvador to chuckle a bit.

"Uh… Right…" Replies the confused Siren, still clueless about her actions in the bar. "Hey, where you guys headed anyway?"

"We're off to Southpaw to kill some Hyperion Cabron's posing as bandits." Grunts Salvador, slowly spinning the rotating barrel of his Bandit MG.

"Sounds like fun, grab me a few shotgun shells if you find some." Maya requests before turning to leave. "Oh wait." She stops looks back at Zero. "Hey wait, have you seen Axton around?"

"Hmm, no I have not. Last time I saw him he was carrying you out of Moxxi's. Perhaps he took a walk, or went down to Marcus' shooting range." Replies Zero casually. Although he was also curious about the Commando's absence, he was more focused on his thirst to eliminate the Hyperion Assassins.

...

"**BANG!"**

As Zero predicted, Axton the commando took a trip to Marcus' place as he sends another shot downrange with his dad's shotgun. Although the weapon would always remind him of that horrid day, the commando was very pleased by how well it operated. The slim, lightweight, and above all, powerful double-barrel performed admirably. Even with its typical Jakobs pistol grip, it still felt very stable and accurate in Axton's hands. _"Huh, no wonder Pops was so obsessed with this shotty."_ He thinks to himself as he examines the flashy furniture of the weapon.

"AYE! Are ya done with the shooting range vault hunter? I can't watch my truxican po- **I MEAN** clean the new armaments, with you making all this racket in there!" Marcus projects desperately from his counter.

"Yea, yea. Don't get your balls in a twist Marcus." The commando verbally shoots back as he slings the nickel shotgun around his back. Axton turns to leave however, as he walks by, Marcus stops him.

"Wait! What's that you got there?" Marcus eagerly asks, indicating Axton's shotgun.

"This? Just some loot I got from a thresher. Nothing special my friend." Axton explains to Marcus, who beckons him to come closer.

"May I have a look at it?" Asks the shopkeeper, now eyeing the piece with great admiration.

Axton was hesitant at first, but eventually gave in out of curiosity. Besides, if Marcus pulled anything on him, he still had his sidearm.

"Interesting." Mumbles Marcus as he carefully examines the shotgun. "A fine Jakobs weapon, it is a variant of the Longrider series." He explains, indicating the Hyperion barrel. "Nickel and Poly Kryten plated, smooth Jakobs grip, you've got quite a piece here vault hunter. In this condition, I would say this weapon would go for about 202K alone."

"Damn…" Axton mutters under his breath. He held out his hand to Marcus, who in return gave him back his shotgun.

"So what will It be vault hunter? Cash or store credit?"

"None." Axton replies sharply before turning to vacate the shop. Although the money would have been great, he could never sell something so personally important to his father.

...

"_Gone because of you…. Gone forever Axton." _The voice begins to mock Axton with its computerized voice. Axton looks around desperately, but all he could see was darkness. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME!? WHO ARE YOU?!" Axton screams angrily at the top of his lungs, but the voice doesn't seem to notice. _"A Threshers' cry, a burning house, a faded pink revolver, __**a lone blue-haired Siren…**__" _

Those last few words bombard Axton as his mind quivers in fear. "No…." He mutters as his background begins to form around him.

Axton looks around at his surroundings. The sky is begins to fade as snow starts to fall. He peers at the frostbitten landscape andstares down at his feet. "_Blood?" _He questions himself as he looks down at the small drips of crimson, polluting the snow with its bright hue. "_My blood?" _The commando follows the trail of red with his eyes, ending with a dark figure lying dormant in the frost. He wipes his eyes and his obscured vision becomes clear. "No… NO!" Axton runs over to the figure, his footsteps making crunching sounds as he runs across the frozen landscape.

He braces the crumpled body in his hands… Maya the Siren. His eyes trail down to her wound, a single gunshot in her stomach, causing her to bleed profusely and create a pool of bright crimson at his feet. A solemn expression is locked on her face as a single tear leaves her delicate blue eyes. She moves her lips in attempt to say something, but Axton can't hear her. "Maya! Who did this to you?" The siren doesn't answer, but her gaze in Axton grows weak and her body becomes limp. "No… Maya don't leave me. I-" Axton stops as Maya's eyes trail off to the right. He follows her line of sight and spots a large shadowed figure, blurred out by the snowfall. Maya's body dissipates into pixelated numbers and symbols, causing the confused commando to swear and stand up. His attention is directed to the large figure, who is now moving closer to his position. "FUCK YOU BITCH!" Axton screams in frustration, drawing his Dahl sidearm from his holster and pointing it at the assailant. The pistol however, simply digitalized like Maya instead of firing, and the blurred figure draws a weapon of his own. "Who… Who are you?" Axton questions helplessly. The figure responds by pulling back the hammer of its revolver. "HEY! TELL ME YOU'RE GODAMN NAME!" The enraged commando demands furiously.

"Overruled."

"**BANG!"**

**...**

The snowy background dissipates into pixels as Axton's vision goes dark once more. "Who… Who was that?…" Axton asks himself as his head throbs with pain and confusion. "_You will find out soon enough Axton…" _The malicious voice begins to fade as light penetrates the darkness.

"Shit…" Axton swears to himself as he looks around his room. Roland was still in his bunk, meaning it must still be early. The commando sits up and braces his confused head, trying to recalibrate his mindset after that horrible vision. "_Maya..." _He leaves his quarters and hurries down the hallway to Maya's room, where he found her casually lying on the couch reading a book. The siren immediately notices the friendly face and flashes a smile.

"Hey Ax, you're up early." Maya greets, setting down her book and motioning him in.

"_Thank god she's okay." _The commando lets off a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I just thought I'd get up to check on ya. How are the ribs?" Axton lies as he takes a seat next to her.

"Good as new." Maya answers in a peppy tone. She looks up to see Axton's muffled face, coupled with bloodshot eyes and solemn expression. "Everything alright Ax?" The blue haired Siren questions worryingly, running her hand down his tense, muscular arm.

"Yeah, just tired Maya. Just another bad night." He lies again, looking away from her worried face.

"Ax… You're not telling me something… What's wrong?" The siren questions again, her glossy blue eyes gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"Maya… I- I don't think you will understand." Axton answers turning away from her gaze once more. He really wanted to tell Maya about what he saw, but he just wasn't sure if he should.

"What? Is it because you don't trust me!? I just want to help you Axton…" Maya retorts, her expression changing from worried to solemn.

"No it's not like that Maya… It's just… I'm can't, okay…?" Axton was out of words to say. He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Maya to relocate her thoughts. "_I'm sorry Maya…" _

_..._

Everyone was gathered around the Crimson Raider HQ as Roland goes over a mandatory briefing. Zero and Salvador are back from their mission and both don't look very pleased. Zero in particular, looked extremely pissed, leaning against the corner with a** :( **emoticon projected through his helmet.

"Now, as everyone may know by now, Zero and Salvador were sent to Southpaw yesterday to eliminate a few Hyperion Assassins." Roland begins, pacing back and forth across the room. "What they didn't know is that one of those bastards were wearing body armor, and escaped alive." He explains while punching something in the command table, causing a map of the Fridge to show up. "Mordecai has done some scouting and found out that this particular assassin, known as Oney; is hauled up in the Fridge and has disguised himself as a Rat general.

Maya cringed at the word rat for she despised the dirty cannibals. However for some odd reason, the name Oney sounded familiar to her.

"So, Maya, Sal, Zero, and Axton. You four will head out to the fridge tonight and will attack tomorrow at dawn. Take the snow gear and dress warm guys, cause it's cold a fuck out there." Roland explains, tossing the shed keys to Axton before dismissing the vault hunters.

Axton returned to his quarters to gather his things for the mission. He slipped on his parka (Special Edition Snowblind) and went over to his drawer. However as he grabbed his handgun he noticed his small scrapbook he had made when he was a child. He holstered his pistol and flipped though the book, stopping at a quite peculiar picture.

"_No fuckin' way…."_

The group of four arrived at the Fridge around nightfall, each dressed warmly with their own parkas and snow gear.

Axton looks over to the depressed Zero and punches him lightly on the arm. "You okay buddy?"

"To miss a designated kill like that, very unprofessional." Zero answers, slouching his back.

"Okay, now that you guys are at the fridge, set up camp at a high vantage point, high enough so you have a clear view at the target. Roland out." Roland reports over the echo.

"Welp, let's get a move on ladies, that Hyperion bastard aint gonna kill himself. Axton says as he heads toward the door controls. Maya and Zero follow after him, but Salvador stops in his tracks and stares at the sign labeled: **FINKS SLAUGHTER DOME. **

"OH! THAT SOUNDS FUUUN!" The Gunzerker projects loudly, causing the others to turn around.

"Go ahead my trigger-happy friend, you deserve a break." Zero says patronizingly. "Besides, I'd prefer to kill that assassin before he has too many bullet holes in him."

"Then why the hell are we here?" Maya retorts

"Backup." Says the assassin playfully, projecting a **3** from his visor.

The vault hunters set up shop on a large ridge overlooking the rat's main territory. Maya helps Axton pitch the tent, while Zero scouts the area with his sniper.

"Good work, now to see the fruits of your loins, I won't be spending the night with you guys." The assassin informs Axton and Maya, earning a confused look from both of them.

"What? Why?" Axton questions curiously.

"Because, I do not deserve sleep, not until he is dead. I will scout overnight with my inferred scanner and provide sniper support in the morning." Zero explains, strapping his high powered Jakobs Mukamuck rifle on his back.

...

After Zero departs, Axton takes out a bouncing betty grenade and sets it on motion sensor. He takes the rest from his belt and sets up around the camps perimeter.

Maya stands by watching him with her hands on her hips. "Overkill much?" She teases, indicating the 13 deadly landmines around their camp.

"Just a little added security darlin." Shrugs Axton. The two huddle inside the tent as a blizzard picks up.

Axton removes his parka and ski mask as he lays down in the warm, cozy tent. By now it is almost pitch black, only the feint moonlight penetrates the canvas of the tent. Beside him is Maya, who looks up at the commando with a solemn face.

"Hey Ax… Hey, I'm sorry being a bit of a bitch earlier. I just… I was just worried."

"No Maya, don't be sorry it was nothing, I'm just glad you are ok. Axton reassures staring deeply into her sad, glistening blue eyes.

"Axton… I don't know how to put this but… Were you dreaming about this assassin in the Fridge too?" Maya eagerly asks, noticing Axton's green eyes droop at the question.

"I did, how did you know?" He answers quietly

Maya leans her head back and begins. "Back in my home planet, Athenas, the Order of the Impending Storm had an assassin nicknamed the Persecutor. They used him to kill any wrong doer, or crush any resistance. His signature weapon was a revolver he called the "Judge" which he used to… Kill my real parents.

Axton was shocked, this man must be the same person from his dream. "So why is he in Pandora?"

"That's what I'm afraid of, his real brother was my handler and I killed him so… He might be here to kill me."

"You know that's never gonna happen right?" Axton reassures the blue haired siren.

"Whatever you say tough guy." Maya comes back sarcastically, she shivers as the wind whistles by the tent.

"You know, you can get a bit closer if you like." Axton offers, noticing her shiver.

"You sure?" Maya hesitates, but gives in and slides herself over to Axton.

"You're so warm." Says Maya as she snuggles her way into Axton's body.

Axton smiles at this, but notices Maya's gloomy expression. "Hey, are you alright?"

Maya looks up, causing her hair to brush past Axton's chin. "Yea I guess… I just can't help but be afraid of him you know? I saw the bastard murder my parents."

"Hey, hey, hey, you know I would never let him hurt you. Axton reassures, draping his arm slowly over her affectionately.

"Promise?" Maya looks up to his glistening gaze.

"Promise."

That was enough for her. Who cares about who's coming for her or what's going to happen tomorrow? All that matters was this moment, right here, right now. Maya lets off a sigh of comfort and drifts off to sleep.

_**Baaam! End of the chapter. Man this one was really difficult. But um.. anyway I really do appreciate you guys reviewing my writing, just makes things around here a lot more fun, Especially you LavandarFox, I never expected to get noticed by such a great writer :). If you guys like my story be sure to check out hers cause it's pretty damn awesome :P.**_

_**Hope you guys enjoyed it and I will see you guys soon. **_

**-PlatinumShark**


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